Gas furnace with electrically ignited pilot



May 25, 151 4-8. y D 2,442,168

GAS FURNACE WITH ELECTRICALLY IGNITED PILOT Filed July 24, 1945 PatentedMay 25, 1948 GAS FURNACE WITH ELECTRICALLY IGNITED PILOT Arnold V.Halda, Kansas City, Mo. Application July 24, 1945, Serial No. 606,760 2Claims. (Cl. 158-115) This invention relates to igniting systems forfluid burners, and more particularly to an electrical igniting systemfor a gas burner.

A main object of the invention is to provide an electrical ignitingmeans for a gas burner, such as is employed in gas heating furnaces, tosupplement the conventional pilot light and to insure that the pilotlight will remain burning when the main gas supply to the burner isturned off.

A further object is to provide a novel and improved igniting means for agas furnace burner I wherein a spark gap is employed as a supplementaligniting device, said spark gap also functioning to reignite the pilotburner should said pilot burner become extinguished upon turning of! themain gas supply to the gas burner, or by a sudden draft.

7 Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description and claims, and from the accompanying drawingwherein:

The figure is a side elevation partly in section illustrating anigniting system for fluid burners constructed in accordance with myinvention.

Referring to the drawing, I designates the main burner of a gas furnace,the supply of gas to said burner being regulated by a. solenoid valve 2which is energized, as required, by a suitable control circuit, to admitfuel to burner I. A pilot burner 3 is employed to ignite the gas at mainburner I, said pilot burner being normally continuously lighted.However. it is frequently found in conventional structures that theflame at pilot burner 3 will be extinguished when the solenoid valve 2closes to shut off the supply of gas to main burner I, resulting in adangerous esdangerous escape of gas from the main burner when thesolenoid valve reopens and the main gas flow fails to ignite.

To overcome the possibility of the pilot burner remaining extinguishedand also to supplement the igniting action of the pilot burner whenvalve 2 is opened, I provide an electrical igniting system comprising aspark gap 4 positioned adjacent pilot burner 3,said spark gap beingenergized responsive to the opening or closing of valve 2. In theparticular construction shown in the drawing, the top portion 5 of thesolenoid casing of valve 2 is extended on one side to provide a supportfor a pivotally mounted switch arm 6, said arm being loosely secured atan intermediate portion thereof to an insulating stud 8 secured to thetop end of the solenoid plunger 7 so as to be raised thereby when thesolenoid is energized. Sup- 1 passes contact II.

a cape of gas from the pilot burner and a highly 2 ported at the otherside of top portion 5 is an insulating strip 9 carrying a pair ofcontacts I0 and II adapted to be sequentially momentarily engaged by theend of switch arm 6 as the solenoid valve is energized and to bemomentarily engaged in reverse order when the solenoid valve isdeenergized. Contacts I0 and II are connected to a primary terminal ofan induction vibrator coil I2, the other primary terminal thereof beinggrounded. A secondary winding terminal of coil' I2 is connected to oneof the spark gap electrodes, the other terminal of the secondary windingand the other gap electrode being grounded. Switch arm 8 is connected toone secondary terminal of a step-down transformer I3, the othersecondary terminal being-grounded, and the primary winding thereof beingconnected to the house lighting mains.

When the solenoid valve 2 becomes energized switch arm 6 will be raisedand momentarily close the primary circuit of coil I2 at contact Ill,opening the circuit as it continues its upward movement and momentarilyclosing the circuit as it This produces a shower of sparks at gap 4which supplement pilot burner 3 in igniting the gas at burner I. Whensolenoid valve 2 becomes de-energized, switch arm 6 moves downwardlythrough the dotted positions shown in the drawing and againinducessparks at gap '4 which reignite pilot burner 3 in the event that saidpilot burner has become extinguished by the cutting off of the main gassupply to burner I or by a, sudden draft. The reignition of pilot burner3 is thus assured.

The make-and-break arrangement of switch arm 6 with respect to contactsIn and II is such that the spark gap will be energized only when thesolenoid valve 2 is being opened or closed. Under steady stateconditions gap 5 is deenergizedf While a specific embodiment of anignition systern for a gas furnace burner has been disclosed in theforegoing description, it will be understood that various modificationswithin the s irit of the invention may occur to those sklled in the art.Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the inventionother than as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a as f rna a main burner, a pilot burner positioned adjacent themain burner, means for continuously supplying gas to said pilot burner,a pair of electrodes positioned adjacent the pilot burner and defining aspark gap, a device for supplying high voltage current, said vdevice'having I 1 v awn 3 its output. terminals connected to a low voltage suppi circliit (or energizing said device, a a valve for said mainburner, asolenoid, a phmger for said solenoid. means said plunger valve. saidplunger being iormed to said control and arranged to open said valveresponsive to the energization ofsaid solenoid. a switch arm carried bythe plunger, a plurality of contacts arranged to be momentarilysuccessively engaged by said switch arm during the movement oi saidplunger to valve-opening position and to he momentarily successivelyengaged in, reverse order during the movement oi said plunger tovalve-closing position, and means connectingsaidswitcharmandsaidcontactainseriesin said low-voltage supply circuitof said high voltage device. said switch armbeing iree oiengagement withany of its contacts when the valve iseitherinitsiullyopenedorinitsmllyclosed position.

2. In a gas burner, a main burner. a pilot burner ositioned adjacent themain' burner. means for continuously supplyl s gas to said pilot burner.a pair or electrodes positioned adjacent the pilot burner and defining aspark gap. a device for supplying high voltage current. said devicehaving its output terminal connected to said electrodes,. a low voltagesupp y circuit for said device, a normally. closed control valve forsaid main burner, actuating means for said control valve. a switch armoperable by said actuating means, a plurality oi contactsarranged to bemomentarily successively engased by said switch arm during the movementof said actuating means to valve-opening position and to be momentarilysuccessively engaged in reverse order during the movement of saidactuating means to valve-closing position, and means connecting saidswitch arm and said contacts in series in said low voltage supplycircuit of said high voltage device, said switch am being free ofengagement with any of its contacts when the gaggle either in its i'ulyopen or in its fully closed mom v. HALDA.

nnranrmcns man Btrable July 10, 1945

